Casla is a Sheffield-based agency focused on a simple yet powerful goal: helping B2B tech companies get together with potential customers to meet and talk. Founder Richard Costeloe, moved his venture to Sheffield in 2023, recognising the potential that the city offers to startups. He has since grown his team to three, opened an office at 32 Eyre Street and is bringing together the community of B2B marketers in Sheffield. We caught up with Richard to find out more.
Richard’s journey into entrepreneurship began when he decided to reduce his working week at a large B2B marketing agency in Oxfordshire to four days, dedicating one day to freelance projects. Whilst he enjoyed his freelance work, Richard wanted to build a business, grow a team, and create something secure and sustainable. So, he registered Casla as a company with a clear vision: to help B2B tech and digital companies engage with their ideal clients.
Bringing Casla to Sheffield
Richard moved to the Lake District when he transitioned to freelance work, as he had the flexibility to work from anywhere. But as Casla gained momentum, it became clear that Richard needed to be in a city in order to build a team and access a strong business community. He considered cities like London and Bristol (where he had studied), but Sheffield’s reputation as a hub for tech startups, along with its talent pool, ultimately won him over. He reflects,
“It was my mum, who had lived and studied here, who actually said, ‘You know Richard, you should try Sheffield, it would be really good’. I then researched the city and the talent pool, and I came across Sheffield Digital, which I liked. I could see it was a highly rated place for people starting businesses, and this has certainly been my experience so far.”
Today, Casla’s team of three – Richard, Millie and Saskia – operate out of 32 Eyre Street. None of them are Sheffield natives; Richard met Millie at Union Street coworking space, where she was freelancing at the time, and Saskia, a University of Sheffield graduate, has joined on a part-time basis, allowing her to undertake a Master’s degree alongside her work.
Building a B2B community
In September, Richard launched a meetup series that brings together members of the B2B marketing community for drinks and discussion events. The inaugural event featured panelists from Nimble Approach, Twinkl and Productive Machines, and welcomed over 30 attendees from tech and digital companies operating in the B2B space.
Another event is scheduled for December, and Richard hopes to create a welcoming atmosphere where marketing professionals can share ideas and learn from each other. He says,
“It’s been really nice to get such a good response, after coming to the city as a totally unknown entity and trying to set up this B2B community. People seem to want to get involved and I think that it’s because B2B marketing is maturing and becoming its own discipline. These days there are more sophisticated and specialist techniques employed, so it’s great to support Sheffield marketers and share what we know.”
The art of conversation
Casla’s events aren’t just about networking – they align with the company’s ethos of creating real, face-to-face conversations. Richard explains that for many of their clients, these conversations are invaluable. “The companies we work with typically have complex propositions and large deal sizes. So a single lead, developed through a meaningful, face to face conversation, can result in significant returns.”
Casla recently helped a client secure a deal worth over £468,000. This success came after an investment of around £20,000 in Casla’s services – an impressive return on investment. While not every client project yields the same results – Richard describes this particular example as ‘the dream scenario’ – he is motivated by the impact they’ve helped to make: securing steady income, creating jobs and building long-term security for their client.
Richard and his team are constantly monitoring and evaluating techniques, and learning from successful campaigns like this one. They have recently pared down their services based on what has proved successful in the past year and a visit to the company’s website shows their three key offerings: events, outbound services (like LinkedIn InMail) and podcasts.
As a B2B company themselves, Casla follows its own advice. The B2B events and a newly launched podcast are integral to Casla’s efforts to engage with the B2B community in Sheffield through meaningful conversations and connections.
What’s next?
As Casla grows, Richard is excited to learn more about Sheffield’s B2B landscape. He’s particularly interested in hearing from local businesses about their marketing challenges and how Casla can help them overcome these obstacles. He’s also on the lookout for guests for the Casla podcast, as he’s eager to share insights and stories from the B2B marketing world.
At its core, Casla is about connection. Whether through events, podcasts or outreach, Richard and his team remain committed to a founding principle: helping B2B tech and digital companies get in front of potential clients and talk. It’s a simple concept but, as Richard has already proven, it’s an incredibly effective one. Find out more about Casla on the website: casla.agency, get in touch at: hello@casla.agency and connect with Richard on LinkedIn.
